ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency has decided to arrest former finance minister of PTI Shaukat Tareen for attempting to sabotage the government’s deal with IMF last year.
The agency has sought permission from the Ministry of Interior to initiate legal proceedings by arresting Shaukat Tareen.
In 2022, Tareen’s audio surfaced in which he was asking the KP and Punjab finance ministers of PTI to write letters to IMF saying they were not in a position to fulfill the federal government’s commitments to the IMF.
According to FIA, former finance minister Tarin’s conversation was an effort to sabotage the coalition government’s deal with the IMF in a bid to harm the security and national interests of the country.
The agency has probed the matter and found the audio original involving Shaukat Tareen and two provincial finance ministers of PTI.
Tareen’s Audio leak
In August 2022, before the IMF’s board meeting, Tareen made telephone calls to former Punjab and KP finance ministers. He influenced them to write letters to the IMF to withdraw from their commitment to the surplus budget in the wake of devastating floods.
Though the IMF board approved $1.2 billion for Pakistan, the leaked audio defamed Pakistan and annoyed the coalition government which was struggling to save the country from default.
